


Pleas and Thank You

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Resurrection, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 20:31:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5942059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Sirius's death, Remus tries to clear his name</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pleas and Thank You

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Remus Lupin. I stand before you today to plead for the innocence of a dead man, so his memory should not be forever enshrouded in the crime that he supposedly committed. As I'm sure you all know, Sirius Black was the supposed traitor of the great Lily and James Potter, killer of Peter Pettigrew and murderer of thirteen muggles." Remus's soft, low voice floated out over the collected Witches and Wizards. His even gaze scanned the group and finally came to rest upon Cornelius Fudge. He loathed the doddering old fool with hatred that was not expressed in his face, but only in his eyes. Fudge seemed to see this and paled more than a bit.

"I was asked, three days ago, what I knew about this man. I told the ministry official that I would rather make a more public statement. I was assured that if I told all I knew, I would be spared any charges. I would have come here anyway.

"Sirius Black was my dear friend, and my lover." A collective gasp came from the audience, one that Lupin seemed not to notice, though he did. "I thought him a traitor to my friend, James and his wife Lily, when he was first taken to Azkaban. Some of you can understand this. Those of you with family or friends who were accused Death Eaters. When he escaped, I was frightened, fearful that he would come back for me, as I was the last of our tight group for childhood friends. I found him in a place in Hogsmeade, the Shrieking Shack. I go there, once monthly, to change into a werewolf." Another collective gasp and select pockets of whispers, which he waited to subside before continuing. "There was I show the real traitor: one, Peter Pettigrew. I saw him with my own eyes change from his animagus form as a rat to a human being, thinning hair and all. There was no doubt in my mind, then, that I had been wrong about Sirius. As you also may know, Peter got away that night, when a young boy wished his father's best friends not to become murderers for him. The last we knew of Peter, he was a death eater in Voldemort's direct service. One who helped him regain physical form.

"But that was put out of my mind for some weeks, for I had Sirius back. Kind, loyal, beautiful Sirius," he felt his eyes prick with tears, "and he was innocent."

"I would have rejoiced, having the love of my life with me again," he continued in his weary tone, "but he was not the man he used to be. Neither of us was. I because of my lycanthropy and life outside without him; he because of his imprisonment and the pain and suffering and grief he was put through in Azkaban. So I was sent my love, broken, skinny, empty, his soul still lying in the wreckage of twelve years ago and only salted by the wearing of time. From this we built each other up again. But this great man, who overcame dementors, the ministry of magic and the breaking of his own heart to come out a wonderful person was snatched from the hands of the world all too quickly.

"The rest of this story you know, but I will recount anyway, as another proof of his love for justice and his godson, Harry Potter. When he knew the boy to be in trouble, so very few nights ago, he went rushing from his place of hiding to save the boy. Sirius was hit in the chest by a stunning spell by Bellatrix Lestrange, in a battle that could have been prevented, had someone in authority taken his head out of his-" Dumbledore put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Had someone in authority taken the situation and the words of a boy who you mock, but who has been asked to grow up far too quickly and to see things no child should, seriously, he may have gotten to see the day of his proclamation of innocence. No matter what you think, at the end of all of these words, I will go home, knowing an innocent man has died without ever seeing the day when he was once again free. And that is a great injustice for me, his friends and the whole Wizarding World."

His eyes misted over and he sat down slowly, joints aching from the transformation of the night before. Dumbledore and Harry were as surprised at the man's amazing show of strength as the whole collected Wizengamot. They had truly been waiting for him to go to pieces in the middle of his monologue, but he had saved for the end. He now sobbed quietly, head in his hands. Harry reached over and rubbed his back consolingly for a moment, staring daggers at the Minister of Magic.

Fudge turned a sickly green color and said, "Wizards and Witches of the Wizengamot, it is now our time to decide whether to free the deceased of the charges put against him fifteen years ago. We will reconvene tomorrow with the judgment." With that, he picked up his green bowler hat and exited the hall in a great blur of pinstriped robes.

"Professor Lupin?" Harry sounded hesitant to ask the crying man anything that might further upset him. True to form, Remus sat up, wiping his eyes and trying to tie his hair back again.

"Call me Remus, Harry, or Moony. But what is it that you want to ask?"

"Why didn't you tell me about you and S- Si-- you and my godfather?" He still couldn't bring himself to say his name. He could say the name of his worst enemy, the great and powerful Lord Voldemort, but he could not bring himself to say the name of the man he had loved as a father.

"We were both afraid... afraid it would drive you away to know that we... we were together."

"But other people know? The Order?" The last wizards and witches were gathering their papers and quills and leaving.

"Shush!" Dumbledore urged, "You cannot speak of that here! But yes, we know."

"Why weren't you afraid to tell them?" a bit of childish petulance sneaked into his voice.

"Why be hesitant to tell those who knew of my lycanthropy and still accepted me?"

"Did you love him?" Harry asked.

"Did you pay attention?" asked Dumbledore of Harry. The boy colored and said nothing more. "We should go. Accio brooms." The three brooms whizzed by to land next to Dumbledore. Watching the elderly wizard fly was one of the oddest, and funniest, things Harry had ever seen. His white hair streaked out behind him, his beard wrapped around his neck like a scarf. Harry gripped his Firebolt tightly as the scenery whizzed by below them and the clouds embraced them. Here, on a broom, he could finally feel at home and focus on balancing or on the night in front of him, instead of the image of Sirius falling through the veil that haunted him day after day.

Remus had similar thoughts, only they haunted his nights. When he was in his cold, empty bed, images of Sirius came to him, the feeling of warm arms wrapped around him, to in the morning reveal only blankets and cruel sunlight.

Thinking these things, he was suddenly very travel-weary and emotionally drained. Fatigue took over him and he was falling. Harry caught out of the corner of his eye the form of his former professor falling. Turning his broom swiftly to the side and going into a nosedive, caught his former-professor around the waist. Dumbledore, who had been leading the way, stopped and with a grace defying his age, dived to help Harry. He was struggling to get Remus upright on his broom.

"He's exhausted. We have to get back to Grimmauld Place, now! I can't keep him on my broom long." Harry yelled to Dumbledore who was retrieving Remus' broom from the tree it had crashed in. The old wizard pondered this for a moment.

"Are you feeling strong, Harry?"

"Yes."

"We'll use magic. But you must carry Remus, do you understand?"

"Yes. What about the Ministry."

"I give you express permission. Now, use the domicile charm and we'll be home in no time. Domus!" With a sharp whirring sound, Dumbledore was gone, just a streak in the sky. Harry truly doubted that he could stay on a broom while that was happening, but was willing to try.

Trying to envision Grimmauld Place in his mind, Harry took out his wand: swish, flick, a slight tightening of his grip on Remus and "Domus!" he was off like a rocket. He found he could not, nor needed to, steer his broom, which was going at top-speed toward their destination. He clutched at the older man tighter, struggling to keep the both balanced while maintaining their breakneck pace.

He gave a sight of relief when the Firebolt finally slowed to a stop to hover above the house and he could once again steer it to the ground. Dumbledore was waiting for him, with an owl from the Minister and Hedwig.

"It's all been explained." Said Dumbledore to Harry's startled look.

Remus stirred slightly on his bed several hours later. Harry still had not let go of his hand, and was currently asleep in a chair beside his bed.

"That was very impressive flying, Harry," he said quietly and the boy almost jumped out of his skin.

"Moony!" He immediately adopted his father's scolding tone. Oh, he was so like James! "Never, ever scare me like that again! I thought you'd gotten hit by a spell from a Death Eater the way you fell!"

"I'm so sorry, Harry. I was just so tired... I couldn't hold myself up anymore. I'm so sorry." Harry seemed almost immediately to regret his harsh tone.

"You should have put today's speech off until the moon was farther into it's waning."

"It had to be said, and putting it off would only make it look as if I was a coward, or as if I needed to formulate a plan. But my plan, Harry, was the truth."

"But, still... you've worn yourself down. Scared me half to death." The boy sat back down. He took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. As if that could take away the constant headache he'd had since the Department of Ministries incident. It was stronger when Voldemort had a strong emotional power-surge, but it was ever-present and sometimes debilitating.

"I'm sorry to worry you, Harry. Godric knows you don't need more worries. I'm worried also, about the outcome of tomorrow."

"Aren't we all?" Said Molly from the doorway. She had the whole Order of the Phoenix standing behind her, waiting for news of the trial.

~+~

"We the Wizengamot, as High Wizarding Court, have come to a decision. Would you three, as heirs to the deceased's property, please rise?" Cornelius Fudge looked extremely flustered, and dabbed his forehead often, though the room was by no means hot. Dumbledore, Harry and Remus stood slowly, Harry and Remus' legs shaking. Whether or not Dumbledore was nervous was up for debate. "The Ministry of Magic and the Wizengamot hereby pardon one Sirius Black."

The whole room seemed to explode with cheers and Remus and Harry immediately embraced each other, happy for some closure to Sirius' suffering. By mid-afternoon the story would be all over the Daily Prophet. Stories on page one, three, four, five, and six all had something to do with the trial or one of Remus Lupin's announcements. And the Quibbler had a cover-to-cover edition especially dedicated to Sirius Black and the Wizards and Witches who loved him.

But after that day, Remus Lupin gave himself over to his physical and emotional fatigue. Fever took his body and dreams invaded his addled mind. He was aware of others in his room, but he could not be sure whether those people were real or figments of his imagination. By the time that one of his visions took the form of Sirius Black sitting by his bedside, he was sure these were truly cruel games his mind was playing with him.

And then he woke up staring into Sirius's eyes.

"'Morning, Moony." The man before him smiled and brushed back some tawny hair. All Remus could do was gape. God, he thought, I must be really fucked up to be hallucinating this well. "Oh, you must think you're still dreaming, right? Well, my cynical one, I'm as real as this." Sirius closed the short gap between the two with a strong kiss, taking advantage of Remus's gaping gob to snake his tongue into the other man's mouth.

"Real enough for you?"

"Sirius!" Remus flung his arms around the other man's neck, then pushing him farther back for a second to stroke his stubbly face. "If I ask you how in the bloody hell you're here, would you disappear?"

Sirius gave a barking laugh, "No."

"Then how in the bloody hell are you here, you bastard!? You're supposed to be dead!"

"Supposed to be?" he grinned.

"Well, not supposed to be, we just thought you were- the veil and- and Dumbledore said-!" The poor man could not form a proper sentence!

"Well, you were supposed to get me pardoned so Dumbledore could send me out into the world once again. And a grieving godson and husband were a very convincing pair in court. Dumbledore was kind enough to let me see the whole thing through his pensive. You did wonderfully, Moony."

"What about the veil?" Remus still looked somewhat shell-shocked.

"I'm kind of fuzzy on that," he scratched absently at the back of his neck, "I think Dumbledore had something to do with getting me back here though. He's not saying a word, just that it's a miracle he found me while he just happened to be incognito in some sleazy part of muggle London... not too convincing, is he?"

"Wait until I get my hands on him! You two nearly killed me!"

"I know, luv, and I'm sorry." He didn't look the least bit sorry with that big lopsided grin on his face, "But look at it this way, I'm a free man now. And we can be together. And I don't have to help you come out to Harry. Again, another smashing job." He was happier than he could ever remember being, even before Azkaban.

"Does Harry know you're back?"

"Well, unless he's headless, now, I suppose he'd know. He's only been sitting next to me and talking with me for the past three days."

Remus tried to imagine the look of surprise and shock on Harry's face when he had first seen Sirius. "He must have shit himself."

"Well, if I hadn't been taught such good control of my bowels at the Dursleys, I very well might have." Harry was standing in the doorway, grinning like a madman. "Glad to see you awake, Remus. You had us all worried sick... again. If you don't watch out, my hair will go as gray as yours is." Lupin returned his smile.

"My hair is NOT going gray."

"My sources tell me different," replied Harry, plucking out a sliver strand from Remus' head.

"Ow!"

"Well? What do you call this color?"

"Alright, alright, gray, then."

"But a very dignified sort of gray," Sirius said from the chair.

"Gah, no point in trying to make me feel better. Anyway," he said, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, "I'm ready to be up and about."

"Good timing," said Ginny from the doorway, "Mum was just asking about you. Are you coming down to breakfast?"

"Do werewolves have tails?" Said Remus. Apparently, Ginny had not been paying attention at all in Defense against the Dark Arts, which still contained Werewolves in their curriculum, and wrinkled her nose in deep thought. Remus laughed, "Yes. I'm coming to breakfast and I do have a tail... at times." The girl blushed and scampered down the stairs.

"Must you make everything into a lesson, Professor Moony?" Sirius laughed.

~+~

"So, what are you two going to do today?" asked Molly, as she bustled around the kitchen, partaking in her favorite past time. Feeding people.

Sirius and Remus turned to each other. A wicked grin stole over Remus' face. "We're going to Diagon Alley." Molly almost dropped the heaping plate of eggs she was carrying. She suddenly looked stricken. What if somebody hadn't gotten the memo about Sirius being free?

"Diagon Alley?" said Sirius incredulously.

"No," Remus' grin grew as he dug into his eggs. The whole table was waiting for him to elaborate. "We'll do one step better," he said in between mouthfuls, "we'll go to the Ministry, pay Fudge a visit."

Arthur Weasley sprayed his coffee across the table. Molly seemed to have frozen in mid-air. Ron and Harry's eyes grew wide simultaneously as they turned to stare at him.

Hermione looked from person-to-person. "Well, I think it's a brilliant idea." Now they all, including a still-grinning Remus, turned to stare at her, "It'd show that jittery git Fudge who laughs last. Also give him a wicked shock, wouldn't it?"

Remus laughed, "Spoken like a true Marauder, eh, Padfoot?"

"Yeah," Sirius winked at her and the girl blushed profusely.

"I love you," said Ron wistfully to her across the table, his eyes still wide and disbelieving. Again she blushed, asked to be excused, and went upstairs with Ginny.

"Well, it's settled, then. Arthur, would you mind us floo-ing into work with you?"

"No, no not at all. Sorry about the spray. Took me a bit off guard is all." He quickly cleaned up his spit-out coffee.

"Can I come?" Asked Harry, who wanted to see every face when his godfather marched, and not floated, into the Ministry building.

"Of course Harry," Said Sirius brightly, "wouldn't think of making the trip without you!"

~+~

All four men were itching with anticipation as they rode the telephone booth down to the first floor of the Ministry of Magic. Arthur Weasley looked more nervous than anything else, though. What would Fudge say if he saw them all walk in together? Remus must have read his mind when he suggested that Arthur go in a few minutes before them.

Remus and Sirius held hands as they stepped into the main Lobby. Harry, standing next to them, delighted on the looks on faces when Sirius was recognized. Witches either started or scampered out of their way, and Wizards either shook his hand or gave the two men odd looks. The Minister stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the room. His round face went inexplicably pale, making the green bowler hat look a truly eye-popping shade.

"Hello!" Said Sirius, disentangling himself from Remus and walking over to greet the shorter man. His head cocked to one side like a puppy dog he said, "Oh, Minister, you look as if you've seen a ghost!" He laughed, and his laughter rang throughout the now silent hall, "I wouldn't have anything to do with that, would I?"

"You- you're supposed to be dead!"

"Funny," Sirius turned to Remus, "That's the second time I've heard that in the past twenty four hours. But, I assure you, I'm alive. I cannot prove it to you as I did the other disbelieving person, so you're just going to have to take my word for it."

The red that crept over Fudge's face just then was hilarious and Harry had to hide behind his hand to keep from laughing. Remus was also smiling. He crossed the room to stand next to Sirius. Defying his usual shyness, he strode right up to his lover and captured him in a kiss, right there in front of the whole Ministry of Magic (the entrance hall was filling by the second). Fudge's jaw dropped, and he went white again, as if suddenly all the blood had been drained from his face.

"Sorry, just had to do that, Minister. You understand, werewolf hunger and all." Remus winked.

I cannot believe he's saying this, thought Harry. This action defied any characteristics he'd ever seen Remus display (a.n.: Don't you just love it when authors know their characters are OOC?). It was impulsive, it was flamboyant and it was completely uninhibited; frankly, it scared Harry a little. If he allowed himself this casualness, had he given up on controlling himself all together? Or was this all that marauder mischief coming through?

"And we two were denied each other for so long, you wouldn't deny us this, would you?" He kissed Sirius again as the two twined their fingers. In Harry's mind, they may well have been wearing "Gay Pride" t-shirts, with big pink triangles on the front.

"Gah, get the hell into my office. Can't have you making a scene!"

"Actually, I'd prefer this stay here, so you cannot try anything fishy, Minister, like going back on your word." Harry spoke from behind them. Fudge looked past the two men, to the boy, his face going an odd turnip-purple color.

"Well..." Fudge looked nervously around at the gathering crowd, a few of whom had their Quick Quotes Quills out, watching the scene in obvious shock and eagerness; another front-page for Remus and Sirius. "Out with it then, you three. I haven't got all bloody day for escaped convicts and their boyfriends and godsons."

"I just wanted to thank you for freeing me." Sirius sounded pointedly conversational, as if he had just said, `I was wondering if you'd like to join me for a spot of tea'. "You and I both know the government at the time did a shoddy job of investigating all that, no, didn't investigate it at all. I knew you were always the better man. Death really was a bummer, and I don't really recall how in the hell I ended up back in some odd back-district of Muggle London, but what does it matter?"

Fudge's eyes bugged out of his head; he seemed to just now realize Sirius was alive. "How the bloody hell can you be alive? And here? And not killing every human in sight? I signed that declaration of innocence thinking you'd never be back!" There was a gasp from the crowd and Fudge visibly flinched, knowing he'd said something wrong.

"Ah, so kind to show me such hospitality. Not a bloody `how are you, Sirius, nice to see you alive again.' You see this Moony?"

"I do, Padfoot." Remus replied, never taking his deep, amber eyes off Fudge.

"Well, I don't find it very nice to see you! This complicates matters with that bloody Dumbledore fool for me indefinitely!" Another flinch and another wrong statement.

"Hey, death almost complicated matters for me indefinitely!"

"Sirius," said Harry from the back of the room, "calm down. You just came down here to thank him."

"But Harry," said Sirius through clenched teeth, "He's insulting me." He, too, had his gazed fixed on the round face before him.

"Well, you've just offered him a swift kick in the bollucks. He thought for sure you were out of his hair, er, lack thereof, for good. And besides, he knows you're going to be the bigger man and forgive him for his indiscretion... publicly. Is that right?"

Sirius turned to face his godson, grinning. `Sly devil' he mouthed soundlessly and turned back to Fudge.

"Exactly. You are hereby pardoned for almost killing me, directly and indirectly, over the years. First in Azkaban, then with those Dementors at Hogwarts, then several times while I was in hiding, and then by totally ignoring the whole Voldemort situation, you succeeded in being rid of me. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm back. Oh, and just for your information, I'm on your side, so don't look as if some awful murderer has waltzed into your midst. The only people I want to murder now are Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix Lestrange." His eyes went dark, a look that was reminiscent of his wanted poster, but the shadow soon passed.

After a minute and a half of silence, Fudge had made up his mind. "Well, er, welcome to the side of the light, M'boy!" He clapped Sirius on the back and started walking off, taking the taller man with him. Sirius looked supremely puzzled and sent a confused glance over his shoulder at Remus and Harry who were following. As soon as they were all out of earshot and viewing range, Fudge let go of Sirius and pushed him away, as if he had the plague.

"Hey, try not to manhandle him, would you?" said Remus.

"What was that about? And how is it that you're here!?" Fudge demanded of Sirius.

"It's just as I told you. To thank you and I don't know as how I'm back. But aren't we all glad I am?"

"You just made a fool of me!"

"You did a pretty good job of that yourself, Minister," piped up Harry.

"Oh, shut your pie hole!" He sneered. Sirius reached for his wand but Remus stayed him. "I swear, Black, if you try anything of the sort..."

"Oh, I wouldn't give you the pleasure of sending me to the Dementors' kiss. But I'll swear one thing, you babbling idiot: I will have Peter's head on a platter, and I'll make it known that you couldn't even manage to catch him. It will be a pleasure watching your career go down the proverbial toilet." 

With that, he strolled out, hand in hand with Remus, with Harry close on his other side, getting applause from various Ministry personnel as the three passed through the front exit. 

"Anybody up for lunch?" he asked as they rode the telephone booth back up to ground level. 

"What cuisine goes with ruining a despicable, corrupt politician's day?"


End file.
